Usable performance classic - £10k
Discussion
Currently wondering what to do when my current car sells. I was considering either a Megane Trophy 300 (manual), Yaris GR-Four or perhaps even an M2 (manual). But with other things on the horizon, I am tempted to spend around half that on something a little older.
The brief,
- £10k (creep possible for the right thing)
- Manual
- Doesn't need to make money per se, just be desirable in future/not really depreciate
- Must be usable and not something totally ruinous (I have a cheap Clio I can use daily but I like to drive my cars often)
Open to anything really, things that immediately spring to mind for me are - R26 Megane or E36 328i Coupe. I have little to no Porsche knowledge but it is an itch I'm yet to scratch.
The brief,
- £10k (creep possible for the right thing)
- Manual
- Doesn't need to make money per se, just be desirable in future/not really depreciate
- Must be usable and not something totally ruinous (I have a cheap Clio I can use daily but I like to drive my cars often)
Open to anything really, things that immediately spring to mind for me are - R26 Megane or E36 328i Coupe. I have little to no Porsche knowledge but it is an itch I'm yet to scratch.
M.F.D said:
I have been looking at the Caymans. The 987.2 3.4S is what I'd like but I think I'd need some serious budget creep.
The Gen1 cars were the IMS failures, aside from the 2.9 if I read correctly.
I honestly wouldn't even bother with the IMS issue. Anything this old has already proven itself reliable through whatever means necessary and there are fixes and indies who can remedy things. You're buying a 10k car, not an 80k fresh out of warranty car.The Gen1 cars were the IMS failures, aside from the 2.9 if I read correctly.
Suggestion wise, it really depends what you value. But as you're fixed on manual I'd imagine that's driver engagement over speed.
Focus RS was my first thought, but you're undercooked on the budget and as they're appreciating that doesn't work.
Then I went down the classic hatch route:
•Clio Trophy/Cup - fizzy little cars, I had 3 in various guises. This can be turned into a track focused weapon that'll cock it's leg on an apex.
•Megane RS - less engaging but quicker than the Clio, the R26 was/is a classic.
•Integra Type-R - the manuals on any Type-R are sublime.
•350Z/370Z - the V6 sounds...
But, at 10-12k if you really want a performance car for driver enjoyment then you should be looking at a Caterham/Westfield or something that any good mechanic can keep alive for years to come, cheap classic insurance and guaranteed smiles. If that's a garaged second car, of course!
griffter said:
S2000?
S2000 is a solid shout actually.James-gbg1e said:
I honestly wouldn't even bother with the IMS issue. Anything this old has already proven itself reliable through whatever means necessary and there are fixes and indies who can remedy things. You're buying a 10k car, not an 80k fresh out of warranty car.
Suggestion wise, it really depends what you value. But as you're fixed on manual I'd imagine that's driver engagement over speed.
Focus RS was my first thought, but you're undercooked on the budget and as they're appreciating that doesn't work.
Then I went down the classic hatch route:
•Clio Trophy/Cup - fizzy little cars, I had 3 in various guises. This can be turned into a track focused weapon that'll cock it's leg on an apex.
•Megane RS - less engaging but quicker than the Clio, the R26 was/is a classic.
•Integra Type-R - the manuals on any Type-R are sublime.
•350Z/370Z - the V6 sounds...
But, at 10-12k if you really want a performance car for driver enjoyment then you should be looking at a Caterham/Westfield or something that any good mechanic can keep alive for years to come, cheap classic insurance and guaranteed smiles. If that's a garaged second car, of course!
I have had 3 Megane RS250 Cup's, adore them. So the renaultsport thing seems to be an obvious answer. I'm 6ft 4 so I'd worry about fitting in a Caterham, but again very appealing to own something this raw.Suggestion wise, it really depends what you value. But as you're fixed on manual I'd imagine that's driver engagement over speed.
Focus RS was my first thought, but you're undercooked on the budget and as they're appreciating that doesn't work.
Then I went down the classic hatch route:
•Clio Trophy/Cup - fizzy little cars, I had 3 in various guises. This can be turned into a track focused weapon that'll cock it's leg on an apex.
•Megane RS - less engaging but quicker than the Clio, the R26 was/is a classic.
•Integra Type-R - the manuals on any Type-R are sublime.
•350Z/370Z - the V6 sounds...
But, at 10-12k if you really want a performance car for driver enjoyment then you should be looking at a Caterham/Westfield or something that any good mechanic can keep alive for years to come, cheap classic insurance and guaranteed smiles. If that's a garaged second car, of course!
limpsfield said:
I’ve just sold my 987 3.4s after owning it for 9 years.
Great cars, would have another and worth stretching the budget for I would say. Mine went for under £12k in the end.
Porsche or M/// ownership appears to be the natural progression from RS Megane's. How was it to live with in terms of maintenance and running costs? Great cars, would have another and worth stretching the budget for I would say. Mine went for under £12k in the end.
Some are lucky with Porsche running costs, some aren't.
I bought a 2006 Boxster 2.7 for £10,000 in 2021, ran it for 2.5 years and 12,000 miles and sold it for £8000.
I loved owning it, it was always an "occasion" to drive, made a lovely sound and basic running costs (tax, insurance and fuel) were very reasonable.
BUT although nothing major went wrong and it never let me down, I spent around £5000 on coolant pipes, front PASM shocks, a major service, exhaust manifold stud repairs and so on.
As people recommend I used a reputable independent but they certainly know how to charge as well and some of the parts needed for the above were only available from Porsche.
What about a BMW Z4 coupe? I've always loved the shape of these, £10,000 should buy a decent one and it's running gear is shared with millions of other BMWs so should be easier and cheaper to maintain than a Porsche.
I bought a 2006 Boxster 2.7 for £10,000 in 2021, ran it for 2.5 years and 12,000 miles and sold it for £8000.
I loved owning it, it was always an "occasion" to drive, made a lovely sound and basic running costs (tax, insurance and fuel) were very reasonable.
BUT although nothing major went wrong and it never let me down, I spent around £5000 on coolant pipes, front PASM shocks, a major service, exhaust manifold stud repairs and so on.
As people recommend I used a reputable independent but they certainly know how to charge as well and some of the parts needed for the above were only available from Porsche.
What about a BMW Z4 coupe? I've always loved the shape of these, £10,000 should buy a decent one and it's running gear is shared with millions of other BMWs so should be easier and cheaper to maintain than a Porsche.
M.F.D said:
I have been looking at the Caymans. The 987.2 3.4S is what I'd like but I think I'd need some serious budget creep.
The Gen1 cars were the IMS failures, aside from the 2.9 if I read correctly.
Earlier 2.7 Cayman would be the one to go for if worried about big engine bills. Ims issue are pretty much a non issue by this point and will highly unlikely suffer from the bore scoring issue which some of the 3.4s have.The Gen1 cars were the IMS failures, aside from the 2.9 if I read correctly.
If you're going boxster there's also the very early 3.2 987s which I believe are less prone to the known "issues".
limpsfield said:
I’ve just sold my 987 3.4s after owning it for 9 years.
Great cars, would have another and worth stretching the budget for I would say. Mine went for under £12k in the end.
The few YouTubers I have watched who bought a Cayman in this price range all discovered they had bore score and then were stuck with spending half the purchase price again on getting the engine fixed.Great cars, would have another and worth stretching the budget for I would say. Mine went for under £12k in the end.
It's almost like the sellers knew.....
One admitted it would have been cheaper just to get a 981 instead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AwOTVgTlUk
M.F.D said:
Porsche or M/// ownership appears to be the natural progression from RS Megane's. How was it to live with in terms of maintenance and running costs?
I did have to get a new clutch about half way through my ownership so that was a couple of thousand from memory. Otherwise, services every couple of years at a local Porsche indy ran to around £500 from memory. Depreciation cost me about £5,000 over the 9 ish years I had it.
As with any older car, we would all do well to go into it with our eyes open and try to build up a reserve pot.But apart from the clutch (admittedly, a chunky bill) it never really let me down, apart from the odd flat battery when I hadn't driven it for a while.
ThingsBehindTheSun said:
The few YouTubers I have watched who bought a Cayman in this price range all discovered they had bore score and then were stuck with spending half the purchase price again on getting the engine fixed.
It's almost like the sellers knew.....
One admitted it would have been cheaper just to get a 981 instead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AwOTVgTlUk
That is fair enough but I would have thought that would, as someone else mentioned, have raised its head at some point as these cars get older? I bought mine around 32k miles and sold it just under 70k. It's almost like the sellers knew.....
One admitted it would have been cheaper just to get a 981 instead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AwOTVgTlUk
Anyway, I would have another. I replaced it with a 2013 FType but still miss the nimbleness of my old Boxster.
Editted to add - I was just checking prices and saw this - bang on budget!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408042...
Edited by limpsfield on Monday 12th August 17:23
The Boxster is a great sports car and I loved mine. They are affordable to buy because there are plenty to choose from and because Porsche running costs, especially for one needing a through refresh, are very high. Do your research to find out which models most susceptible to IMS failure and/or bore scoring, either of which will cost more than the value of the car to fix.
I think the Z4 is a great shout. Cheaper to buy and cheaper to run, whilst offering only sightly less in terms of driving dynamics. Perhaps to Z4Ms are more comparable to a Boxster S, but from what I've read the Ms handling can be somewhat skittish in standard trim.
I think the Z4 is a great shout. Cheaper to buy and cheaper to run, whilst offering only sightly less in terms of driving dynamics. Perhaps to Z4Ms are more comparable to a Boxster S, but from what I've read the Ms handling can be somewhat skittish in standard trim.
GreatGranny said:
That does look very clean indeed, however it would be a 328i or nothing at that money for me.The current Boxster/Cayman prices are very tempting, but then again so are E9x M3's which I will assume are on the same rung of ownership costs.
Another shout for S2000, especially if it's as a road car, mostly because they feel fast (even if they are probably one of the slower cars listed here). If not then 987 Boxster (probably a non-S at that budget, I'd rather have a nice 2.7 than a ratty 3.2/3.4), especially if you want to go on track as they are great 'out-of-the-box'.
I have owned an e36 328i coupe, it was a fantastic car. I used it daily and on track days (with upgraded brakes) and it was really good fun, if you want something that is also a bit more practical/usable every day it would fit very well.
I have owned an e36 328i coupe, it was a fantastic car. I used it daily and on track days (with upgraded brakes) and it was really good fun, if you want something that is also a bit more practical/usable every day it would fit very well.
Edited by varsas on Tuesday 13th August 13:08
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